


Magical Discourse : A Self-Insert

by moonchez



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon - Book & Movie Combination, Canon-Typical Violence, Chaotic Friends, F/F, F/M, Harry Potter Movies, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, M/M, Major Character Injury, Major Original Character(s), Multi, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, References to Depression, Self-Insert, Swearing, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, just me and my friends in the hp movie universe, oc-insert, teen shenangians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29526414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonchez/pseuds/moonchez
Summary: Not every Gryffindor is adventurous.Not every Slytherin is a pure-blood.Not every Ravenclaw is a bookworm.And not every Hufflepuff is forgettable.____(Just because it's 2021 doesn't mean we can't write Harry Potter fanfiction. Lol)[all rights to Harry Potter (sadly) go to J.K. Rowling]
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s), George Weasley/Original Character(s), Harry Potter/Original Female Character(s), Hermione Granger/Original Female Character(s), Luna Lovegood/Pansy Parkinson/Ginny Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s)/Original Male Character(s), Remus Lupin/Original Female Character(s), Ron Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Kudos: 4





	1. the phone call and the surprise visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liric calls a friend for their birthday and receives an interesting visitor

It was a quiet Saturday evening. A warm orange-pink hue bled across the horizon, reminding Liric strangely of paint spilled on a wooden floor. A gentle breeze swept through the trees and tall grass surrounding her home, bringing the already-cool temperatures even lower. The house, a yellow-and-white Victorian two-story, stood tall and unrelenting against the summer weather, the only thing being moved by the wind was the rickety wooden porch swing the girl was perched upon hours earlier. The sun had retreated behind the surrounding hills some time ago, but there was light still to allow her to see as far as her only neighbor’s house across the road. Their children had gone in for dinner less than an hour ago, allowing a serene silence to settle upon the field. 

One of the joys of occupying the attic space is that Liric had a rather impressive view of the serene environment her home resided in. The rolling hills, the trees, the rare car driving through, even a glimpse into the neighbors’ lives if they left the windows open. The attic had been one of the handfuls of things that had been remodeled from the house’s original nineteen-century design. Once a two-room storage space now a fully insulated bedroom with a functioning bathroom. The house originally came with three bedrooms, but Liric’s grandparents decided sometime in her toddler years that it would be a good idea to have some remodeling done. By the time she became more mobile, Liric’s new room was ready to move into and the little girl was more than happy to have her own space to play to her heart’s content. But those years have since flown away, and now at thirteen, the girl had different interests at mind.

And those interests translated into how she furnished her room.

The floor was made up of dark-oak panels and the slanted walls that were once painted baby-pink were now a cute buttercup-yellow. There was a rather-large window on the left wall parallel to the staircase leading down to the first floor  **(A/N: also known as the second floor to us non-Brits)** and another smaller window at the furthest wall right under where the slanted ceiling connected. A rather large wooden desk sat under the smaller window along with a restored vintage wooden swivel chair. To the left of the desk was a white wooden display cabinet and to the right was a twin-sized wicker daybed. A large rocking chair sat in front of the larger window and the bathroom door stood some ways behind it, on the same wall as the stairwell entryway. The walls were covered in posters of classic rock bands (specifically Aerosmith, AC/DC, Electric Light Orchestra, Genesis, and Rush) and the display case had framed photographs and books on every shelf. The only source of light for when the sun wasn’t up were the two skinny floor lamps set up at opposite sides of the room; one behind the bed and the other in the far corner behind the rocking chair. Despite the mix-matched furnishing, the room was a haven of safety and comfort for Liric, and she was content with the way it was situated.

But there were some rather abnormal things sitting amongst the normality.

Abnormalities like the large travel trunk standing at the end of the daybed. Or the peculiar little perch stationed at the head of the desk, right in front of the almost-always open window. Or the articulately carved wooden wand laying atop her pillows. Or even the photos displayed in the cabinet that looks at though the people in them are moving on their own.

It was as though the room wasn’t as normal as one would assume.

The thirteen-year-old was currently sitting in her rocking chair, her feet teetering back and forth as the portable radio on the ground beside her played the eighties rock she loved so much. On days like this, there was really nothing to do. The weekends were very much open for anything. If Liric was lucky, she could convince her uncle to embark on the almost-two-hour bus trip to London, where she could spend the day walking around the shops and having lunch at the nice cafes. Since they lived so far from any of the major cities, it was a nice treat just to go and enjoy the time away from the serene but utterly boring country. The only downside of going on these trips is that her grandfather would drag on and on about how much money went into the bus tickets, her shopping, and the food. So, these little outings were spread out across the three months Liric was home for the summer.

But, it was still a nice treat for when she was home from her boarding school.

Liric couldn't help but titter at the idea of the institution she has been attending for the past two years was merely just a boarding school. It was so much more than that. All her life, she never felt like she belonged amongst her ‘normal’ family. There was something about her that set her apart from others, but she never knew what it was until she began learning at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At Hogwarts, she met people just like her and learned all kinds of things you wouldn't learn in any ‘normal’ school. There, she could be herself and make memories she'll never forget.

But despite her adoration for her school, Liric loved the peace that came with going home every summer.

“Liric!” The sound of her grandmother’s voice broke Liric’s concentration. “It’s almost six, darling!”

The mention of the approaching hour had Liric jumping from the chair and racing down the stairs. Luckily, the stairs hadn’t been waxed today and she wasn’t wearing socks, so there would be no injury on tonight’s descension. After sliding the railing down to the ground floor, she turned the corner and strode right into the small kitchen. Standing at the stove, separating Liric from her destination, was her grandmother. 

At sixty-four years of age, her pulled-back brown hair had only just begun showing signs of grey, and her heart-shaped was littered with lines and wrinkles that told how she lived a life of laughter with only a few frustrations. She was dressed in a black turtleneck and track pants, a major contrast to the loose shirt and shorts the younger girl was wearing. And then there were her eyes: a dark chocolate-brown that held a warmth that reminded Liric of a cup of the sweetest cocoa that replaced any feeling of cold in an instant. 

The perfect characteristics for a grandmother.

“Excited?” The older woman teased, turning from the stove and placing a hand on her hip.

Liric pushed her shoulders up to her ears, her face turning red. “He’s just a friend, Nan.”

Nan tittered at her granddaughter. “Just don’t be on the phone for too long. I’m sure his family wants to celebrate his birthday.”

‘His family never celebrates his birthday’ was what Liric almost said before closing her mouth instead. If her grandmother knew that, she’d do everything in her power to make sure this friend in question had the most expensive and over-the-top birthday party in the world. That was just the kind of person Elaine MacDuff was. Every child deserved at least one unforgettable birthday in their life and if she was the only person who was going to make that happen, then so be it.

Without another word, Liric walked around her grandmother and stopped in front of the cream-colored wall phone. Taking the receiver off the hook, she opened the address book on the counter to the most recent written-on page. Printed in her slightly-sloppy handwriting were a name, an address, and a telephone number.

_ Harry Potter _

_ 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey _

_ +44 1632 960286 _

**(A/N: went on a fake phone number website and put the first one i saw (: )**

After punching in the number, Liric stood still and listened as the phone rang. Subconsciously, she straightened her stance and lifted her head a little higher. Something about calling a friend’s house made her immediately behave as though they were going to walk into hers any minute. Nan was a stickler for manners, no matter if the person was on the phone or in front of you. The years of conditioning have done their job and now it’s rare for Liric to act out of line.

At least, in front of her family.

After another moment or two, Liric heard the ‘click’ of someone answering the other end.

“Dursley residence.” The voice of a woman came over the line.

Liric immediately tensed up at the sound of the voice but took a deep breath before speaking. “Good evening, madam. May I please speak to Harry Potter?”

There was a pause before the woman responded sounding rather shocked. “I beg your pardon? Who do you wish to speak to?”

Liric frowned. Surely she didn’t get the number wrong. And besides, Harry’s family had the surname of ‘Dursley’, which was the name the woman said when she answered. This was the right place to call, right?

“Harry Potter,” Liric repeated herself. “May I please speak to him, madam? I’m a friend of his from school. I know it’s his birthday and you probably have plans for the evening, but I wish to speak to him. It won’t take more than ten minutes, I promise.”

Silence came over the call. For a moment, Liric wondered if the woman hung up before a flustered “He’ll be right down” was heard before a ‘thud’, most likely from her setting the receiver down.

“Harry!” The woman’s voice called from the other end, now much further and slightly muffled. The yell was responded to by a sound, but much farther and more muffled. “There’s someone on the phone asking for you! You can talk to her until your uncle gets back! And no dilly-dallying!”

Silence came over the receiver before a shuffling sound and then-

“Hello?”

Liric smiled immediately at the sound of Harry’s voice. “Happy birthday, Harry!” She cheered.

“Liric?” Harry sounded confused and rather shocked. “You called me on my birthday?”

“Of course I did! I told you I would in my letter. Didn’t you get it?”

“Oh, yeah, you did. Sorry, I’ve been pretty busy lately. My uncle’s sister is coming for a visit so I’ve been forced to clean the house and well, not been able to respond to letters.”

“Yeesh. I’m sorry to hear about that, mate.”

Harry chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to it by now.”

“Well anyway, I wanted to catch up with you a bit. Have you decided on what electives you’re taking?”

“Oh yeah.” Harry’s voice became stronger at the change of subject. “Care for Magical Creatures sounds really cool to me. And also Divination. I think Ron and Hermione are taking those classes too, but I’m not sure. What ‘bout you?”

“I’m with you on Divination, but I’m taking Arithmancy along with it. Care for Magical Creatures didn’t sound that interesting to me.”

“Arithmancy?” The serious confusion in Harry’s voice made Liric want to laugh. “I never took you for someone who likes numbers.”

A mischievous grin formed on Liric’s face. “There’s still much you have yet to learn about me, Mr. Potter.”

Harry let out a short laugh at that before changing the subject again. “I’ve been meaning to ask you. Did you get your permission slip for Hogsmeade signed already?”

“Duh!” Liric responded. “Literally had my Nan sign it the moment I opened it. But what about you? Any luck?”

“No. I’m hoping to try and get my uncle to sign it after Aunt Marge leaves. I’m really not looking forward to this visit.”

Liric frowned. “Is she just as bad as your uncle?”

“Well, if you saw her, you’d tell they’re family. She’s also bringing her dog with her. This little pitbull that likes to jump and bite. I wouldn’t be surprised if I lose half a finger just by trying to feed it.”

Liric couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I think you’re being a bit dramatic, mate. But I know you’ll get through it unscathed. I mean, you’ve been through worse right? What was that thing you slew last year?”

Harry scoffed and Liric could see him rolling his eyes. “To be honest, I’d rather fight another basilisk than live through this visit.”

“Oi, don’t say that! It might come true.”

Just then, there was a sound of a ringing bell and the woman’s voice from earlier on Harry’s end of the phone.

“Is it already time for you to go?” Liric asked, her voice defeated

“Yeah,” Harry responded, sounding just as disappointed. “But I’ll most likely be able to call you back before term starts. Let me get your number.”

“Alright, It’s plus forty-four, five-five-five, two-seven-six-one, zero-one.”  **(A/N: again, another fake number (: )**

There was the sound of a pencil scribbling and more shouting from the woman’s voice. “Alright, I got it. I’ll call you back soon, I hope.”

“Okay. Happy birthday again, Harry!”

“Thank you again. See you at school.”

And with that, Liric placed the receiver back on the hook. She felt quite giddy that she was able to talk to Harry today. From how he described the Dursley’s, she was sure the woman (who she now assumed was Harry’s Aunt Petunia) was going to say something along the lines of ‘There is no Harry Potter at this residence. Please do not call again.’ and hang up. But, to her surprise, she was allowed to communicate with her school friend on his birthday. Maybe Petunia Dursley wasn’t as horrible as her husband or her son. But then again, Liric didn’t know the woman in person, so maybe it was all the ruse of a good housewife.

Moving off the thoughts of Harry’s family, Liric turned from the wall and made her way out of the kitchen. Rounding the corner, she had just grabbed the banister when there was a knock at the door. She paused, seeing if anyone else would answer or would call out to her to answer it. After about thirty seconds, there was another knock, but louder this time.

“Henny!” Nan’s voice came from the bedroom down the hall from where Liric stood. “Can you answer the door? It might be the evening mail!”

Soon there was the sound of creaking stairs as Liric’s Uncle Henry- who the family lovingly referred to as ‘Henny’ since she was a baby- descended the stairs. Henny, a tree-of-a-man with the wild red hair of his father and dark brown eyes of his mother, nodded in acknowledgment to Liric as he passed her and strolled up to the door. Without any hesitation, he unlocked and swung opened the front door. Because of her uncle’s tall stature, Liric couldn’t see who it was at the door.

“Sorry for disturbing you this evening.” A woman’s voice spoke, much sweeter than the shrill squawking of Harry’s aunt. “Is this the residence of Angus and Elaine MacDuff?”

Henny gave a brisk nod and grunt, stepping aside for her to enter the house and allowing Liric to get a look at the visitor.

The woman was about Liric’s height if a bit taller. She was pale with mousy hair and brown eyes. She was dressed in shredded black pants, combat boots, and a grey-and-red hoodie under a black cloak lined with gold studs. She also wore black fingerless gloves and a black choker necklace with bells. If it wasn’t for the wand sticking out of one of her cloak pockets, Liric would have mistaken her for the ‘alternative’ girls that loiter around the shopping centers in London.

Liric knew immediately that this woman was from the wizarding community. The first witch she’s seen since leaving Hogwarts for the summer, in fact. Even though she’s been attending the wizarding school for three years now, she still got excited at the sight of other magic-users and magical things in general.

The woman stepped right through the doorway and almost immediately trained her eyes onto Liric. As if recognizing the girl, she grinned like a child on their birthday.

“You must be Liric, right?” The woman asked.

Liric nodded. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss…”

“Tonks.” The woman answered. “Well, my given name is Nymphadora, but I’d rather you just called me Tonks. I’m from the Ministry of Magic, and I must speak to your grandparents. Are they in?”  **(A/N: yes i know tonks doesn’t come in until year 5 but i did say i was doing major canon divergence lol)**

As if on cue, there were the sound of footsteps before Nan appeared at Liric’s side. The grandmother had that same polite smile she always wore whenever there was a houseguest or visitor.

“Nan, this woman is from the Ministry of Magic,” Liric explained. “She needs to speak to you and Grandad.”

“I see.” Nan squeezed Liric’s shoulders affectionately. “Why don’t you go upstairs so the adults can talk, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Liric said with a nod. She walked across the floor and climbed the staircase until she was back in her attic room. She could faintly hear the two women begin to speak, but she crossed the room as to not eavesdrop.

Sitting on her bed, Liric took the wand off the pillow and held it in her hands, twirling it between her fingers. According to Ollivander the Wandmaker, it was made of Ebony Wood with a core of unicorn hair and was ten-and-three-quarters inches in length. There were vine and leaves carved into the handle and the black wood really made the pale skin of her hands stand out. Every time Liric held her wand, she felt complete. Like the wand was an extension of her arm. She felt sure, strong, confident, even powerful to the extent that she could protect herself if it was needed. She was still learning about the secret world of magic that she had been missing up until she was eleven, but it almost felt as though she always knew that part of her was there. It was like no matter how far she moved into the English countryside, she’ll always find a way to be connected to the wizarding world.

Suddenly, there was the sound of an owl screeching. Turning towards the small open window, Liric could make out something with wings making its way across the sky towards her. The closer the thing got, she realized that it was something- or  _ someone _ \- she’s been waiting on all day.

“Gordon!” Liric cried with joy as the bird glided through the open window, circled the room, and landed gracefully on the perch in front of his owner.

Gordon was a Tawny owl her family bought for her before she began her first year at Hogwarts. He was an eleventh birthday present that Liric herself picked out at The Magical Menagerie. She thought of the name ‘Gordon’ because his dark eyes and the way his natural face shape made him look like he was always glaring at something reminded Liric of a cousin from her grandfather’s side that was pretty notorious for being angry. Despite his namesake, Gordon was a sweet pet that Liric absolutely adored. She couldn’t have asked for a better companion.

“Did you have fun flying today?” Liric asked the bird, who hooted happily as she stroked his head with her finger. “Yeah, you did. Did you get to see any of your friends?”

Gordon hooted again with a twitch of his head. Liric had sent him off to deliver a letter to Harry the day before, but let him go off on his own once he returned. One of the great things about living in the country was that there weren’t any windows or buildings for Gordon to hit while flying. Liric was also aware that Gordon had grown attached to the pets of her roommates back at Hogwarts, so she allowed him to go visit them since she knew their owners would let Gordon sleep a bit and feed him when he arrived. Recently, she’s been reading up on owl mating patterns and was rather surprised that Gordon didn’t try to mate with her roommate Sorano’s owl Kira. 

But maybe he liked another owl associated with another classmate of Liric’s.

“I’m glad you get to see your friends,” Liric said solemnly. “I wish I could be an owl sometimes. Get to fly with you and go see my friends whenever I want. Hadn’t gotten any letters in almost a month now. I wonder what they’re up to.”

“Liric!” The sudden call of her grandmother’s voice rang through the house.

“Coming!” Liric called back almost immediately. When she stood up and pocketed her wand, Gordon flew and perched on her shoulder. With her closest friend with her, she made her way back out of the room and down the staircase until she hit the ground floor.

Tonks and Nan were sitting on the long couch across the room from the staircase while Henny was nowhere to be found (most likely back in his room upstairs). A tea set sat on the coffee table and both women held a cup in their hands. Nan’s cup was still full while Tonk’s barely had any tea.

“I see Gordon has returned home,” Nan said with a titter.

Gordon gave a slight screech in response, making Liric shake slightly with suppressed laughter.

“Anyways,” The older woman placed her cup on the end table. “Why don’t you take Miss Tonks up to your room? She has very important things to tell you and I don’t want your grandfather or your uncle walking in and disturbing you.”

Liric frowned. Important things? What important things did someone from the Ministry of Magic wanted to talk to her about? Her mom worked at the Ministry, so did it have to do with her?

Tonks stood from the couch and placed the cup on the tray. “Thank you for the tea, Mrs. MacDuff.” She said to Nan before looking at Liric. “Shall we?”

Liric hesitated but nodded before leading Tonks up the stairs. While she walked, Gordon left her shoulder and flew up the stairwell, most likely back to the attic.

“Is that fireplace connected to the Floo Network?” Tonks asked as they passed through the first floor. Liric knew she was looking at the grand iron and brick fireplace that stood between the doors to the bathroom and Henny’s room. It was once a normal fireplace, but it was modified to fit the needs of her mother and aunt’s wizarding lives.

“Yeah, it is,” Liric said as they reached her room. “It was connected sometime in the seventies when my mum and aunt went to Hogwarts. Make yourself at home.”

Tonk let out a quiet ‘Merlin’ as she took in the space. Liric suddenly felt nervous. It’s been a while since anyone outside her immediate family in her room, let alone someone from the Ministry of Magic. The last time someone non-family was in her room was when her grandparents had guardianship of a girl named Rory who left when Liric was four. She wasn’t a slob, but it still felt weird having a stranger in her private space.

“It’s a really nice room,” Tonks said, smiling warmly. “I like your posters. Are they wizard bands?”

Liric glanced at the Aerosmith on the slanted ceiling and shook her head. “No. They’re all Muggles. But it’s really good music.”

Tonks nodded. “I’m sure it is. Can I take a seat?” She motioned toward the rocking chair.

“Sure. It rocks pretty far back so be careful.”

“Noted.” While Liric sat on her bed, Tonks slipped off her cloak and hung it on the back of the rocking chair before sitting in it. A silence settled between them while Liric twiddled her thumbs and Tonks slowly rocked back and forth. Then, she cleared her throat.

“As your grandmother said, I have something really important to tell you,” Tonks said.

“Has something happened to my mum?” Liric asked.

Tonks shook her head. “No. Your mum is fine. This has to do with your dad.”

Liric stiffened up at the mention of her father. The last time she heard anyone mention him was during the last time her mother came for a visit, which was about a year or so ago. Her grandmother asking  _ “Would Sirius want you to abandon his daughter like this?”  _ was the one thing Liric remembers vividly from that day, followed by her mother grabbing her things and bursting out of the house, never to be seen again. Since then, Feyre MacDuff has only sent cards while also making excuses to her mother whenever she’s asked to come for a visit. Grandad had given up a long time ago, but Nan wasn’t going to let go anytime soon.

“The Ministry has received word that Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban,” Tonks explained. “And they believe that you may be in danger.”

“Me?” Liric asked, brows furrowed in confusion. “The Ministry thinks he’s going to come and try to kill me?”

Tonks mirrored Liric’s furrowed expression but did not show confusion. “The Minister wants to ensure your safety while Sirius Black is at large. Honestly, I don’t think he’d try to kill you, Liric. Possibly try to make contact, but not kill.”

Tonk’s words gave Liric some comfort. Her father was imprisoned when she was only a year old. Even if he did find her, he’d probably not recognize her since it’s been twelve years since he last saw her. Did he even know what hair color she had? Did he know she was attending Hogwarts? Did he know where her mom worked? Did he know that her mom basically abandoned her to her grandparents?

“I know you might be a little scared right now, Liric.” Tonks continued. “But I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you get to Hogwarts safely, okay? I swear.”

Liric nodded slowly and looked down at her hands, clasped together and pale in her lap. They were shaking slightly. Was it from fear or the air-conditioning?

“What do I need to do?” She asked.

Tonks stood from the rocking chair, making Liric look up at her. “The Minister wants to put you up in the Leaky Cauldron for the rest of your summer holiday. There you’ll be looked after and safe. I’ll be personally escorting you there tonight.”

Liric’s eyes widened. “Tonight?” She whipped her head around the room to look for any kind of indicator of what time it was.

“It’s eight o’clock, I think,” Tonks said. “We have plenty of time to get your things together and get you to London before it’s late.”

Liric stood from her bed and placed a hand on her trunk. “Good thing I don’t unpack my trunk when I come home.” She said with a soft chuckle, most likely trying to calm herself from the nerve-wracking news that was dropped on her.

“In that case, I can take that down for you then.” Tonks walked over and took hold of the handle on the side of the trunk, pulling it so it wheeled away from where it stood. “I’m sure you’ll want to change before we go, so I’ll meet you at the front door.”

Liric frowned. “I thought we were going to use the fireplace. We can Floo straight to the Leaky Cauldron, right?”

Tonks shook her head. “You can’t transport large luggage like this through the Floo Network. It’s mostly for transporting bodies.”

“Well, fuck me then.” The curse came out before Liric knew it and she covered her mouth in shock, staring at the ground in embarrassment.

Tonks chuckled. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell your grandmother about that. But try to keep that under wraps when you talk to your teachers.”

Liric nodded sheepishly. “I’ll get Gordon situated and come down when I’m ready.”

Tonks smiled warmly at Liric before walking out of the room and down the stairs, Liric’s trunk thudding down each step as she descended. Liric turned around and saw Gordon sitting on his perch, his head cocked to one side like he was expecting his owner to say something.

“Looks like our summer is coming to an early end, Gordy.” She said as she opened the display cabinet and pulled the travel cage and canvas backpack from the bottom shelf.

Gordon chirped and, once the cage door opened, flew in and landed on the perch. Liric shut the door and locked it before setting the cage beside the bedroom door. Returning to the cabinet, she scanned the middle three shelves that held her clothes. After a minute or so of consideration, she pulled out a pair of shredded jeans along with an  _ AC/DC  _ shirt that was cut right under navel-length and black crew socks printed with cartoonish pizza slices. After changing, Liric grabbed the converse shoes sitting under the desk and tied them on before grabbing a sweater, an extra shirt, and shorts to stash in her backpack. Then, her bathroom was raided for her toothbrush, body spray, chapstick, and face wash that all went into the bag as well. After running a comb through her hair, she divided her hair in half and tied the top part back with a hair tie, now sporting one of the only three half-up-half-down styles she wore on a daily basis. Now with her backpack fully packed, she exited the bathroom, grabbed Gordon’s cage, and took one last look into the full-length mirror hanging on the back of the bedroom door.

At that moment, Liric stood at five-foot-four and was the spitting image of her mother, in all her toe-headed and slender-bodied glory. But what made her different from her mother was that she didn’t let her hair grow past her upper arms at most and her eyes were a different color. Instead of her mother’s deep brown, Liric had her father’s grey eyes. In front of her eyes were a pair of black half-frame horn-rimmed glasses with lenses that were one-third of a millimeter thick. Her ears had been pierced once upon a time, but the holes had been empty for a while now. The dark blue polish on her fingernails was starting to chip and she had been fighting the urge to bite her nails off since she scratched herself the other day.

No matter how short she cut her hair or what she wore, she was still who she always was. Nothing could change the fact that her mom didn’t make the effort to see her anymore and her dad was a now-escaped convicted murderer who was most likely going to try and hunt her down.

At the end of the day, she was still Liric Siria Black. 

Taking a deep breath, Liric opened the door and took one last look at her bedroom. She couldn’t help but raise her free hand and wave to the empty space.

“See you next summer.” She said before switching the lights off and stepping into the stairwell, closing the bedroom door behind her.


	2. another day, another hello

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liric embarks on a new adventure

**(A/N: so i decided that while i’m mainly focusing on the movie universe i’d be using some elements/events from the books to fit the setting/plot of this story so hope you enjoy!)**

Once Liric stepped off the staircase, she was met with the sight of her grandparents and uncle standing around Tonks before the front door. Her travel trunk was standing near the door, out of the way. When she looked out of the window, Liric saw that the world outside was pitch black, the only sign of life out there coming from the faint lights of the neighbor’s house.

Tonks was the first to notice the newest person in the room and smiled at Liric. “Got everything you need?” She asked.

Liric nodded and held up the cage in her hand. Gordon chirped and flapped his wings.

“We’re both ready.” She said. “Is there a car waiting for us?”

Tonks shrugged a shoulder. “Not a car, but transportation has been arranged for us.” She then grabbed the trunk as Henny opened the front door once more. “I’ll just step out so you can say goodbye without feeling rushed.”

“It was lovely meeting you, Tonks,” Nan said warmly. “Do give Feyre our love if you ever see her at the Ministry.”

Tonks chuckled. “Since we aren’t in the same department, that’ll be near impossible. But I’ll try my best.”

Liric changed her focus from the conversation at hand to the old man standing next to her grandmother. Grandad wasn't yet sixty, but his creaky bones and grunting made it seem like he'd been alive for the past century. Compared to the photographs of his youth displayed around the house, the modern-day grandfather had creases in his forehead, laugh lines around his mouth, crow's feet in the corner of his hooded brown eyes, and a head of red hair that was slowly receding and graying. Nan says the whole top of his head will be visible by the time Liric is eighteen, maybe even earlier than that if his genes allow it. With the natural arch of his eyebrows and pout in his lips, Grandad always seemed to remind Liric of the dramatic super villains from those movies her uncle loved to watch.

“Are you gonna miss me, Grandad?” Liric asked the older man.

Grandad grunted his granddaughter’s silly question. “‘Course I’m gonna fuckin’ miss you. You think I won’t? Only see you three months outta the year and you go asking stupid shite like that?”

Nan gave her husband a nudge with her elbow while Liric laughed at his response. Grandad was a proud Scottsman and was rather annoyed that his children and grandchildren were raised English. Liric remembers how he tried very hard to convince Nan to move the family to Scotland when she was younger, but it was all for naught and he never fully got over it.

“Just wanted to make sure, ‘tis all,” Liric said as she embraced the older man. “I’ll try to write every week, but can’t make any promises.”

Grandad grunted again. “Wouldn’t expect yeh to write so often anyway. Just try to at least respond to your Nan whenever she sends a letter. Worries herself sick if you don’t respond soon enough, yer grandmother.”

Liric glanced at Nan, who only tittered at her husband’s words. “I’ll promise that, at least.” She then moved on to tightly embrace the older woman. “I’ll try to send a letter after the first week, but I can’t make any promises.”

Nan only smiled and stroked her granddaughter’s head lovingly. “That’s quite alright, darling. Just know we’ll be sending you your birthday present through the post.” She clicked her tongue softly before squeezing Liric close again. “Oh, I love you so much.”

Liric smiled and inhaled her grandmother’s perfume, a sweet mix of jasmine, violets, and lavender. Nan always preferred the more floral scents over the musk or spice that other people liked. Liric always found the scent of her grandmother’s perfume comforting and sometimes homesick if she has a moment of phantosmia at school.

“I love you too, Nan,” Liric murmured into her grandmother’s shirt before they separated and she moved on to Henny, who was standing beside the open door with a blank look. The moment Liric came into his view, his face seemed to brighten but still held that blank stare.

“Write to me, okay Henny?” She asked, giving him a light past on the chest. “I want to hear all about work, even if I’m thousands of miles away.”

Henny smiled slightly before raising a hand and placing it on top of Liric’s head, patting it softly. Henny wasn’t much of a physical or verbal person, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t know how to express himself. He was a brilliant writer and renowned poet, having pieces printed in the neighboring town’s newspaper. He also had unique talents and hobbies, going as far as binding books by hand for those who request them. He even went as far as binding a book of his original works for Liric when she asked him and it has become one of her most prized possessions. Overall, Henny was more like a brother than an uncle to Liric and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Taking one last look at her family, Liric sighed. “I’ll see you guys later, yeah?”

Grandad scoffed at the question. “As if you’ll ever get rid of us.”

Nan shook her head with a sigh. “Just please be safe until you get to the Leaky Cauldron, alright? Listen to Miss Tonks.”

Liric rolled her eyes. “I will, Nan. I’ll send a message when I get there, I promise.” She then stepped through the doorway and onto the porch. “Don’t forget about me!”

“Bye!” Grandad and Nan said in unison while Henny let out a soft ‘bye’ of his own as he closed the front door.

Turning away from the door, Liric was rendered speechless at the sight of a purple triple-decker bus idling in front of the house. Tonks stood before the entrance, where a young man in a purple uniform was leaning nonchalantly. Liric couldn’t see her trunk anywhere near Tonks, so she assumed it was already on board.

As Liric stepped off the porch steps and her feet landed on the dirt, the young man in purple looked up which prompted Tonks to turn around.

“Said your goodbyes?” She asked before motioning toward the bus. “Here’s your transport for the night.”

“A bus?” Liric asked as she walked up to the vehicle, staring up in awe. “Not gonna lie was expecting more of a private car or something.”

As if on cue, the young man pulled out a piece of paper from his shirt pocket and cleared his throat loudly, gaining the attention of both witches.

“‘Welcome to the Knight Bus,’” He read. “‘Emergency transportation for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor for this evening’.” And with that, he folded the paper and stuck it back into his pocket.

Liric wanted to laugh. A magical emergency bus? Was there anything the wizarding world couldn’t think of?

“Your trunk is already on board,” Tonks said before handing Liric a slip of paper. “I already told Stan here where you’re going, so just step onboard and you’ll be at the Leaky Cauldron in no time.”

Liric frowned. “You’re not coming with?”

“Don’t need me. The Knight Bus is one of, if not  _ the  _ most trusted way of transportation I know. Besides, it was thought of by a Minister of Magic, so there can’t be anything more trustworthy. Besides,” Tonks stuck a hand in her pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment. “Got my next assignment right here. Got to go.”

Liric was a bit disappointed to hear this. She was starting to like Tonks. But maybe the life of a Ministry employee was much more complex than she thought.

Maybe that’s why her mom hasn’t come to see her in almost two years.

“Alright then,” Liric said. “It was nice meeting you, I guess.”

Tonks smiled and patted the blonde girl on the shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll meet again. Just be safe, yeah?”

Liric nodded. “You too.” Then, Liric stepped onto the bus with Stan following close behind.

Instead of seats, the Knight Bus had rolling beds. In the center of the bus was an extravagant chandelier hanging from the ceiling, lighting up all three levels. As Stan ushered her forward, Liric took a seat the the bed closest to the driver (who was an old man that looked to be sleeping at the wheel) and set Gordon (who was chirping almost uncontrollably) beside her. Looking out the window, Liric saw Tonks still standing in the front yard. Tonks smiled and waved, which the younger girl reciprocated immediately. 

Stan took his place beside the driver’s booth and tapped on the window with his knuckle. “Take ‘er away, Ern.” He said.

“Yeah, take it away Ernie!” The shrunken head hanging from the mirror spoke, its voice holding a Jamaican accent. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride!”

Ernie jumped awake and took a huge bite of the sandwich in his hands before putting it aside and pulling down on a lever. A horn sounded and before Liric could comprehend what was happening, the bus shot forward and sent her back on the bed, which began rolling backward. As the bus rocketed forward, Liric held on tightly to Gordon’s cage, who was screeching like there was no tomorrow. As they entered the city, Liric watched as the bus swerved and cut off every other vehicle on the road.

“Can’t the Muggles see us?” Liric asked.

“Muggles?” Stan repeated with a snicker. “They don’t see nothin’, do they?”

“No, but if you jab them with a fork, they feel.” The shrunken head replied with a cackle.

Liric just couldn’t wrap her head around anything that has happened tonight. It was a perfectly average Saturday with the only differences being her phone call to Harry, Tonks appearing at her house, and now her trip on the Knight Bus. Did this all have to do with Sirius Black? And if it did, would he really hunt her down?

“‘Ey,” Stan spoke, bringing Liric back to reality. “You don’t ‘appen to be related to Sirius Black, are ye?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Liric shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She lied. “Black’s a pretty common surname.”

Stan stared at her with narrowed eyes for another moment before shrugging. “Anyways, gotta make a quick stop in Surrey. Some bloke hailin’ a ride.”

Liric couldn’t believe it. They were already near Surrey? That had to be about an hour from her house! How was this bus moving so quick? Not wanting to dwell too much on that question, she just chalked it up to magic. But there was something about Surrey that was making Liric feel a sense of deja-vu. Was she ever in Surrey? Not that she could recall. So maybe someone she knew lived in Surrey? She wasn’t good with remembering counties or cities that weren’t the major ones like London or Manchester, but maybe she did know someone from that area. Hopefully the ‘bloke’ the Knight Bus was picking up was someone she knew.

Suddenly, the speed slowed in a matter of seconds, and Liric used every ounce of her strength to not let herself or Gordon be flung from the bed. The racing bus had slowed to the speed you’d expect in a residential area and Liric looked out to see they were, in fact, in a residential area. As the bus came to a complete stop, Liric noticed someone on the pavement. A young man with black hair that looked to have fallen over. There was a trunk beside him that looked quite similar to hers. Turning from the window, Liric realized that Stan was no longer standing in front of her. She turned around and saw him leaning against the entrance, just as he was when she got on the bus. Stan rattled out his greeting and Liric could barely hear another male voice in response. Before long, someone stepped onto the bus and Liric saw him.

Messy black hair. Vibrant green eyes. Round glasses. But most importantly, that lightning bolt scar she could point out a mile away.

“Harry,” Liric whispered to herself. For some reason, she hesitated in calling out to her classmate. With the news of her “murderous” father on the run, the last thing she wanted to do was draw any more attention to The Boy Who Lived.

It didn’t take Harry long to lock eyes with Liric. His look of confusion immediately turned into a smile, which made Liric’s cheeks turn pink. 

“Liric?” Harry asked, his voice holding shock and surprise.

“In the flesh,” Liric responded with a giggle. She changed her sitting position so she was sitting cross-legged and facing the end of the bed with Gordon’s cage in her lap. Harry sat on the bed how Liric originally was with his legs dangling off the side.

Stan returned to his post beside Ernie’s window and handed Harry his own slip of paper before tapping his knuckle to the window for the second time that night.

“You might want to hang onto something,” Liric warned Harry as she grasped the bed railing with her left hand and held Gordon’s cage close to her body with her right arm.

“What do you mean-”

“Take ‘er away Ern,” Stan said.

“Yeah, take it away Ernie!” Shrunken Head cackled.

Once again, the Knight Bus was rocketing down the road. Harry was practically shoved onto his back by the force while Liric was holding for dear life. It didn’t take long for Harry to be back to sitting upright and just trying not to stay still. At one point, Stan pulls out a copy of  _ The Daily Prophet _ , the main source for all news in the wizarding world. Liric immediately noticed the headline ( _ Escaped from Azkaban! _ ) and the photograph that went with it. It was of a man with unruly hair holding what looked to be a mugshot board with his number. He was screaming but obviously, no one could hear him.

“Who is that?” Harry asked, motioning his head towards the paper. “That man?”

Stan folded the newspaper and took a look at the page himself. “Who is that?” He repeated the younger wizard’s question, sounding shocked. He then flipped the paper so Liric and Harry could see the screaming photograph again. “Who is-  _ That _ is Sirius Black, that is. Don’t tell me you never been hearin’ ‘bout Sirius Black.”

Harry shook his head and looked at Liric, who in return shook her head as well. Stan then leaned forward as if he was telling them a secret.

“He’s a  _ murderer _ .” He said in a low voice. “Got himself locked up in Azkaban for it.”

“How did he escape?” Liric asked without thinking, making both wizards look at her.

“Well that’s the question, isn’t it?” Stan asked, tapping a finger on Liric’s chest in the process. “He’s the first one that done it!” Then his voice returned to that low whisper. “He was a big supporter of…  _ You-Know-Who _ .” He glanced over at Harry. “Reckon you heard of ‘im?”

Liric watched as Harry’s face turned pale and his expression hardened. “Yeah.” He said. “Him I heard of.”

After Stan returned to his reading, Liric leaned against the bed railing. Her mind was racing. Her dad was a murderer  _ and  _ a follower of Lord Voldemort? Having a neglecting mother was bad enough, but to have a father that murdered people and followed one of the worst dark wizards of all time just really took the cake. 

The universe has really dealt her one shitty hand.

“Yeah, nearly there, nearly there.” Shrunken Head said, snapping Liric back to reality. The Knight Bus rounded a corner and Ernie slammed on the breaks, coming to a screeching halt and flinging Harry forward onto the window. The bus nudged the car in front of it, causing the alarm to start blaring into the quiet night.

“The Leaky Cauldron,” Stan announced as Harry peeled himself off of the glass.

As Liric stood and took hold of Gordon’s cage, a hunchback individual stepped onto the bus. It didn’t take long for her to recognize him as Tom, the innkeeper for the Leaky Cauldron.

“Ah, Mister Potter and Miss Black.” Tom greeted the teens. “At last.”

As they disembarked, the innkeeper pulled their trunks off the bus. Not even a second after the trunks touched the pavement, the Knight Bus was off again, whipping around the corner and into the night. Liric and Harry exchanged a look before entering the pub, being ushered in by Tom.

As she entered the establishment, Liric was hit with the familiar smell of mead and firewood. The staff were cleaning up for the night but there were still a few stragglers and a lively fire going. Tom placed the trunks in front of the fire before telling another employee to put them in “rooms eleven and twelve” and following the teens up the stairs. He soon passed them and led them straight to a private parlor.

“Hedwig!” Harry exclaimed in relief at the sight of the Snowy owl perched on the coat rack standing in the corner. 

“Bright smart bird you have there, Mister Potter,” Tom commented as he followed the young man inside the room. “Arrived here just five minutes before yourself.”

Suddenly there was the sound of someone clearing their throat and Liric turned to see a balding man in a long black cloak with his back to them. On the desk closest to her was an open book with a bewitched white-feathered quill writing on the empty page. As the man spoke, Tom practically dragged Harry into a nearby chair and went ahead to try and offer him something from the tray on the small table beside him, which Harry politely declined. All while Liric placed Gordon’s cage on the table beside the coat rack where Hedwig stayed.

“As the Minister for Magic,” The man spoke, the quill scribbling each word. “It is my duty to inform you, Mister Potter, that earlier this evening your uncle’s sister was located a little south of Sheffield circling a chimney stack. The Accidental Magic Reversal Department was dispatched immediately. She has been properly punctured and her memory modified. She will have no recollection of the incident whatsoever.” He then turned from the window and made his way passed the desk and towards where Harry sat. “So that’s that, and no harm done. Pea soup?” He added the last question with a hand motion toward the pot on the table.

“Uh, no thank you,” Harry said. “Um, Minister? I don’t understand.”

“Understand?” The Minister asked.

“I broke the law. Underaged wizards aren’t allowed to use magic at home.”

“Oh, come now Harry. The Ministry doesn’t send people to Azkaban for blowing up their aunts.” This made Tom let out a rather haunting laugh that ceased the moment the Minister glanced his way. “On the other hand, running away like that, given the state of things, was very very irresponsible.”

“The state of things, sir?”

“We have a killer on the loose.”

“Sirius Black, you mean,” Liric spoke up, causing Harry and the Minister to acknowledge her presence and look at her. “But what’s he got to do with Harry?”

The Minister seemed rather surprised at the girl’s question but just laughed off his shock. “Nothing, of course.” He turned back to Harry and shook the boy’s hand rather vigorously. “You’re safe, and that’s what matters. And you’ll be on your way back to Hogwarts come September.” The Minister then made his way back towards the desk and leaned against it slightly. “Now Tom will show you to your room.”

Suddenly, Tom advanced towards Harry and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him onto his feet and practically dragging him towards the door. Once Harry was at said door, he called to Hedwig, who flew over and landed on his outstretched arm with ease.

“Oh, and Miss Black,” The Minister spoke again when Liric went to follow her friend out. “I do wish to discuss some matters with you in private.”

Liric nodded and silently handed Harry Gordon’s cage while the bird inside chirped and flapped his wings at Hedwig, who chirped back to him. The teens exchanged another glance before Harry followed Tom out into the corridor and the door to the parlor was closed, leaving Liric with the Minister.

“As you heard from my conversation with Mister Potter, we have a very dangerous man on the loose.” The Minister spoke as he walked around the desk and took a seat in the leather chair behind it. “And as I’m sure you’re aware, being the child of that man, your safety is the Ministry’s top-most priority for the time being. But, I’m confident that you are a responsible young lady and won’t do anything to invoke any kind of danger, yes?”

Liric furrowed her eyebrows but nodded in agreement. “With all due respect sir,” She said. “Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban when I was a baby. I’m not sure if he’d even be able to recognize me after so long. And besides, I’m not stupid enough to go and try to invoke a convicted murderer just because he happens to be my dad. I’m better off emotionally-attaching myself to a teacher or another adult in my life.” She ended her sentence with a chuckle to herself.

The Minister looked at Liric with a look of concern and pity before forcing a smile. “Yes, I suppose you’re right, Miss Black. But we mustn't worry about that now. In the meantime, you will be put up in Room Twelve right next to Mister Potter. I do hope you enjoy your stay here and please look after each other if you decided to explore Diagon Alley.”

“Of course, sir. It was a pleasure meeting you. Goodbye.”

“Yes, yes, goodbye Miss Black.”

And with that, Liric exited the parlor, closed the door behind her, and walked down the corridor until she found the marked Room Twelve. The door was ajar and Tom was at the other end of the hall, most likely off to his original post downstairs. Liric pushed the door to her temporary room open and found it to be rather cozy with a large bed, a fireplace that was already lit, multiple windows showing the usually-busy-but-now-silent city, and a desk and chair standing before one of said windows. Liric’s trunk stood upright at the foot of the bed and Gordon’s now-empty cage sat atop the desk while the bird himself was nowhere to be seen, most likely still reconnecting with Hedwig.

Liric closed the door behind her and sat on the side of the bed, taking in the ambiance of the crackling fire, the chirping crickets beyond the windows, and the occasional creaking of the floor outside the room. She took a moment to reflect on the night. First, the Ministry employee named Tonks came to inform her family of Sirius Black’s escape, then she embarked on that stomach-churning ride on the Knight Bus which led to her reuniting with Harry a month earlier than expected, and finally she spoke to the Minister for Magic who seems to know more about Harry’s involvement in all of this than he was leading on. It just all seemed so unreal. But then again, she was possessed by the ‘spirit’ living in Tom Riddle’s diary last year and was forced to open the Chamber of Secrets while under his influence, so learning she had a murderer as a father wasn’t that unreal.

Suddenly, her deep thinking was interrupted by a long yawn and her eyes became heavy. With no clock in the room, she had no idea how late it was but tonight’s events had really done a number on her. It must have been midnight or an hour close to that, the usual time she went to bed during the summer holiday.

Stretching her arms and legs, Liric slipped off her backpack and pulled out the spare clothes she packed. She quickly changed and placed the bag on the chair before crawling under the sheets and settling in for the night. She laid there still for a few moments, staring at the ceiling, before sitting up and picking up her wand from the table, pointing it at the door.

“ _ Colloportus _ .” She said, which was promptly followed by the sound of the door locking.

The last thing she wanted to worry about tonight was something- or  _ someone _ \- coming into her room while she was at her most vulnerable. 


	3. school supply shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liric and Harry do some shopping and share some secrets.

Due to the lack of curtains, the bright sunlight came blazing through the windows, forcefully waking Liric from her dreamless sleep. She covered her face with her arm, refusing to wake just yet. There was nothing planned for the day at hand, so she wasn’t in a rush to get up. Then there was the sound of the loud market outside and the passing above-ground train that made the building shake to the point Liric was sure the bed was on the verge of collapse. 

But still, the efforts of the outside world were no match for the stubbornness of a thirteen-year-old girl.

Just as Liric was on the verge of sleep once more, there was a knock at the door.

“Liric?” A familiar boy’s voice called out from beyond the door. “It’s Harry. Are you awake?”

_ That  _ was what made Liric finally sit up. She reached over and retrieved her wand from the table before pointing it at the door and letting out a half-mumbled ‘ _ Alohomora _ ’. The lock clicked before the door creaked open, allowing Harry to (hesitantly) enter the room.

“G’morning, Harry,” Liric said through a yawn as she reached out and plucked her glasses off the table.

“I didn’t wake you did I?” Harry asked as he stepped into the door and lightly shut it behind him.

Liric shook her head as she pushed her glasses up her nose. “That fuckin’ sun could wake Jesus out of his crypt with how fuckin’ bright it is. They should really invest in some curtains here.”

Harry chuckled but frowned when he noticed Liric’s wand on the table. “You shouldn’t be doing magic outside of Hogwarts. You’re underaged.”

Liric looked at the raven-haired boy quizzically before shrugging. “It’s just a simple spell, Harry. I’m not hurting anyone. Besides, if the Minister wanted me to stop, there’d be an owl outside my room with a letter in its mouth.” She pushed the sheets off her body and got out of bed. “So what brings you to my bedchambers?”

The realization that he had walked into a girl’s room while she was still in her sleepwear must have dawned on Harry because his face turned pink soon after Liric’s question. 

“Right! Um…” He cleared his throat. “I wanted to bring Gordon back.”

At the mention of his name, the Tawny owl came gliding in, hooting as he landed and perched gracefully on the back of the chair.

“Well, there he is,” Liric said as she extended her hand and stroked the owl’s body affectionately. “Thank you for looking after him last night. I should have come and got him but I was just really tired.”

Harry shook his head. “No worries. Hedwig was happy to see him.” Then the color returned to his face. “But that’s not the only thing I came here for.”

“Oh? So what else do you need?”

Harry stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Well, you have your supply list right? I haven’t gotten mine yet so, since we’re here for a while, why not get our books together?”

Liric blinked. “You want to go shopping?”

“I mean,” Harry’s voice was slightly shaky. “If you’d rather do it some other time then that’s fine too. But I just thought it would be a smart idea to get this done as soon as possible and-”

“Alright, alright, alright.” Liric cut the wizard off while waving her hand. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me, mate. Just give me twenty minutes and I’ll meet you downstairs, yeah?”

Harry’s eyes widened slightly and he nodded. “Brilliant. Erm- I’ll just see myself out then.” Then he turned and quickly walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Liric couldn’t help but laugh. Most girls would be embarrassed if a boy came into their room, but not her. She really didn’t mind as long as she was wearing clothes. She was just happy he knocked and waited to enter instead of just barging in like he owned the place.

Finally pulling herself out of bed, Liric made her way around the bed and laid her trunk on its side before opening it. Her robes, school supplies, spare clothes, and other items stared up at her. She pulled the robes out and laid them out on the bed. According to her grandmother, she grew a bit over the summer, both in height and in body. It would be smart to try on her uniform, just to see if she did in fact grow and needed to get new ones. After trying on one set, she noticed how the skirt was a bit shorter and the dress shirt was tight in the arms and the sleeves barely surpassed her wrists now. So yeah, she’ll have to get new robes. After the inspection, she got dressed for the day: paperbag-waist plaid pants cuffed at the ankles, a loose black AC/DC  _ Highway to Hell  _ t-shirt, and black combat boots. After running a brush through her hair, she styled it into two braids that stopped just past the nape of her neck. Feeling excited for the day ahead, she dug deeper into the trunk and pulled out a black velvet drawstring bag the size of her hand. Opening it, Liric pulled out three beaded bracelets; one with yellow beads and sunflowers, one with red beads and roses, and one with dark-blue beads with yellow stars. She slipped the yellow and blue bracelets on her left wrist and the red one on her right. Making beaded bracelets has been a hobby of hers for as far as she could remember. It brought joy and helped her keep calm whenever she was upset. There’s a whole jewelry box full of these bracelets back home and she even had a bracelet-making kit stashed at the bottom of her trunk so she could continue her craft while away at school. Liric also makes them for other people if she’s asked to. One of the many things that she’s ‘famous’ for at Hogwarts.

After brushing her teeth and reorganizing her backpack, Liric pocketed her wand and made her way out of the room, shutting the door behind her. As she made her way down the stairs, she slipped on her backpack and scanned the already-lively tavern for her raven-haired friend. It didn’t take long for her to notice Harry standing by the backdoor that led to the alleyway. 

“Ready?” Harry asked as the blonde girl approached.

“Aren’t we going to have some breakfast first?” Liric responded to his question with her own, extending her thumb toward the bar. 

Harry shook his head. “We can just get something at Sugarplum’s. I want to get going before it gets too busy.”

Liric snorted. “Judging by how busy this place already is, I’m sure it won’t be any different in the Alley.”

Harry huffed in response before turning around and leading the way into the back alleyway. After tapping a specific brick in the wall, it split and opened into an archway, revealing a colorful street of shops and trolleys. Just as Liric thought, the street was already bustling with the morning crowds.

“This is going to be fun,” Liric said, beaming at Harry. “Let’s go!”

The teens made their way down the street, taking in the storefronts and people around them. The first destination was Gringotts Bank to get the money to pay for their supplies. Once they obtained these funds, they quickly moved on to Sugarplum’s Sweets Shop where they just enough cauldron cakes and pumpkin pasties to fit in Liric’s backpack. Now that they had something in their stomachs and money in their pockets, they now moved on to Flourish and Blotts, the go-to bookstore for Hogwarts students to get their textbooks.

Right off the bat, Liric noticed the iron cage in front of the display window. Within the cage were hundreds of growling and fighting copies of  _ The Monster Book of Monsters _ .

“Don’t you need a copy of that book?” Liric asked Harry, pointing at the cage.

Harry took one look at the cage and looked sheepish as he approached the manager. The manager looked tired already when Harry requested the book and they grumbled as they slipped on gloves and grabbed the knobby walking stick, still grumbling as they retrieved a copy and placed it on the counter. Soon, Harry had all his books and paid before allowing Liric’s turn. The manager was rather relieved when Liric said she needed a copy of  _ Numerology and Grammatica _ instead of the monster book. Soon Liric paid for her books and had them wrapped before she and Harry left the store.

“Where to next?” Harry asked, looking up toward the sky to gauge the time.

Liric scanned the street but paused when she noticed a figure standing before Ollivanders. He was roughly Liric’s height with a similar pale complexion. What set him apart from her was his messy black-blue hair that barely passed his ears. He was staring through the front window of the wand shop for a while before visibly taking a deep breath and entering the store. Liric had the urge to follow this stranger, but couldn’t pinpoint why. That was just any other wizard you’d find in Diagon Alley, right? But maybe he was more than that?

Deciding to shrug it off for now, Liric turned her attention back to Harry. “I need to get new robes from Madame Malkin’s.”

Another nod from the raven-haired boy and the two made their way back towards the Leaky Cauldron. Before long, Liric pointed out the golden scissors hanging above the door and the two entered the shop. The moment Liric stepped through the doorway, she noticed another girl in the shop. This girl had to be about five-foot-ten or so (from what Liric could tell), making the already-squat Madam Malkin look even tinier. She had a light-tan complexion with straight waist-length black hair and was dressed in a white collared blouse, a tan sweater, a plaid high-waist skirt that barely reached the middle of her thighs, and nude-colored tights with knee-high converse shoes. The girl also wore an assortment of silver rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. Overall, she looked sophisticated and stylish.

But Liric recognized the homemade bracelet made of yellow beads and red carnations hanging around her right wrist amongst the bangles.

“Sorano?” Liric asked in surprise.

The girl whipped her head around and smiled softly when she immediately recognized the blonde. “Oh, hey Liric. Potter.”

Harry nodded toward Sorano while Liric stepped forward and pulled her friend into a tight hug.

Sorano Kim was a fellow incoming third-year at Hogwarts. She came from a wealthy pure-blooded family and was one of the smartest students in their year. A fellow Hufflepuff, the girls were roommates and became good friends over the previous two years. Despite their differing familial backgrounds, they shared similar tastes in things such as music and clothing style. Despite being a recluse by nature and keeping a fiercely tight-knit group of friends, Sorano was one of Liric’s closest friends at Hogwarts and not someone she ever wanted to cross.

After stepping back from the hug, Liric noticed the letter in her hand. “Supply shopping too?”

Sorano nodded. “I always get my shopping done at least a month before the new term. Before the crowds get too chaotic and the supplies are gone.”

Just then Madam Malkin appeared from the backroom, a wrapped package in her arms. Sorano stepped up to the counter just as the package was placed upon it and handed the shop owner a velvet pouch that jingled from the currency inside it. Then, Sorano took the package and stuffed it into the large canvas bag Liric didn’t notice sitting on the ground.

“Business been slow, Madam Malkin?” Liric asked the older woman.

Malkin gave her a look that she recognized as her Nan’s go-to for whenever Grandad says something that doesn’t help his case in a discussion, which made her laugh.

“So,” Sorano looked between Liric and Harry. “I presume that Weasley and Granger are prowling around somewhere?”

At the mention of his two best friends, Harry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “No. It’s just Liric and me today.” He then patted Liric’s shoulder lightly as he walked past her. “I’m going to go ahead and get my robes. You guys keep catching up.”

As Harry spoke with Madam Malkin, Sorano was watching him closely. As he followed the tailor into the backroom, Sorano turned around and gave Liric a mischievous smirk reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat.

“What?” Liric asked quizzically.

“You and Potter, ey?” Sorano responded teasingly.

Liric’s cheeks immediately turned pink and she glared at her friend. “It’s not like that. We’re just supply shopping. Nothing more.”

“Uh-huh.” Sorano placed a hand on her hip. “Well, I better be Maid of Honor when you two get married.” She laughed at Liric’s red face before taking the canvas bag and slipping it over her shoulder. “Anyways, I need to finish my shopping. See you at school, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah, get out of here, twat.” Liric rolled her eyes and lightly shoved Sorano as she left the shop. 

Now alone in the showroom, she let out a long sigh. Her face was probably very red and she felt embarrassed. She hated being teased about being friends with Harry. Just because he saved her from the Chamber of Secrets and they became fast friends in the aftermath. Sure, she was a bit starstruck by the Boy Who Lived, but he did put his life on the line for hers. Anyone else in that situation would feel the same way.

Liric was pulled out of her thoughts by the return of Harry and Madam Malkin. It was Liric’s turn to follow the tailor to the backroom to be fitted for her new robes. Since only minor fixes were needed, the fitting went by quickly and the teens were able to take their robes that same day. After exiting the robes shop, they decided to take a break and sat in front of a closed shop. 

While eating the treats bought earlier that day, Liric noticed now Harry’s eye kept wandering to a shop across the street. Looking up, she immediately identified the Quality Quidditch Supplies shop. In the display window was a broomstick, most likely the newest one on the market. Harry was a Quidditch player at school, specifically the Seeker for his house of Gryffindor. Currently, his broom was a Nimbus 2000, once the most sought-after broom but now was considered outdated and rather plain. Despite his perfectly-fine broomstick, Liric knew Harry was already pining for the upgrade displayed in the store.

“Do you think your friend has a Firebolt?” Harry asked before taking a huge bite from his pumpkin pasty.

Liric hummed into the cauldron cake she had half-shoved into her mouth. The friend Harry was referring to was a fellow Hufflepuff who was a prominent player on their house’s team. This friend also came from a wealthy pure-blood background just like Sorano but didn’t go around flaunting their money as other pure-bloods Liric knew. As far as she knew, they didn’t have the new broomstick, but it was more likely that it was on their shopping list.

“Probably,” Liric responded, her voice somewhat muffled by the food in her mouth.

Harry sat quietly before turning to her with a slight smirk. “Do you think they could buy me one?”

A snort-like sound came from Liric’s throat as she crumpled the wrapper in her hand and stuffed it into her pocket. “Yeah, I think so. If anything, they’d buy you three broomsticks.”

Harry practically choked on his pumpkin pasty at the response. “Three? I’d only need one!”

“Well, you know them. They  _ love  _ to spoil their friends. And you never know, your broom could get hit by a Bludger, and then you’d have no broom. It’s good to have spares.”

Harry nodded, his eyes returning to the displayed broomstick across the street. “I guess you’re right.”

After they finished their snacks, the teens stood and continued down the street. Now with the majority of their shopping done, they were now just wandering around the different shops for things they still needed, specifically supplies for their owls, writing supplies, and even new Herbology gloves. Another hour or so of shopping and the crowds began to thin. 

With their high energy beginning to wane, they made their way back into the Leaky Cauldron and separated to take rest in their respective rooms. Liric was grateful to drop her shopping and slip off her backpack. Her feet were starting to bother her while her arms and shoulders were aching. Once her arms were empty, she flopped backward onto the bed and stretched her arms out past her head.

That day’s shopping adventure was fun. Not the first time Liric went shopping without her grandparents, but the first without any kind of adult supervision. She wished her Nan was there to see how efficient she was since she knew where everything was and knew exactly what she was buying. Her previous visits to Diagon Alley helped her remember directions and locations of where everything was (besides the fact that the Alley itself was rather tight-knit and small). But she wasn’t worried about getting lost. If anything, she was worried that Harry didn’t have as much fun as her. He was silent for a large portion of the day and didn’t show any joy or disdain. Not to mention he seemed distracted. Could he be thinking about what the Minister told him last night? Or maybe he was wondering why she was there with him?

At that, there was a knock at the door. Liric pushed herself onto her feet and crossed the room, opening the door to reveal the boy of the hour.

“Hey,” Harry said. “Can I talk to you?”

Liric’s heart was already beating hard at his question but took a sidestep to let him in. She then closed the door behind him and took a seat on the ground while he sat on her bed.

“What’s on your mind?” She asked, crossing her legs and leaning back on her arms.

Harry seemed anxious, running his hands over his knees over and over. This made Liric assume her pondering moments earlier was correct and he was suspicious of her.

“I’ve been thinking about what the Minister said last night.” He explained. “With Sirius Black and all. But, I was also thinking of how you could fit in all of this.”

“Me?” Liric questioned naively, not wanting to seem any more suspicious than Harry possibly thought she was.

“Well, he said something to you after I left, right? The Minister? You were on the Knight Bus for a reason too, right? There’s a reason you and I are together in this. I’m just trying to figure out what that reason could be.”

Liric nodded slowly, contemplating. Harry wasn’t an idiot. Of course he was going to catch on and question it all. He understood why  _ he  _ was a person of interest, being the reason He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was gone in the first place. But Liric? Why would she have anything to do with Sirius Black? Unless she had something to do with him.

“He’s my dad.”

Harry snapped his head up and stared wide-eyed at Liric. “What?”

Sighing, she stood up and walked over to the bed before leaning against the post. “The Ministry sent an agent to my house last night to tell my grandparents that he escaped and I’m  _ possibly _ in danger.” She used air quotes on ‘possibly’. “So, I was put on the Knight Bus and sent to the Leaky Cauldron because it was a safe place.” She rolled her eyes and pressed her head against the post. “After you left with Tom, the Minister didn’t really say anything to me. Just telling me how he knew I would be ‘responsible’ and ‘make smart choices’.” She used more air quotes before shoving her hands in her pockets.

“So they think he might come after you?”

“By ‘come after’ the Ministry thinks he’ll at least try to make contact. Possibly try to recruit me for You-Know-Who’s following, but I don’t know. Never met the guy.”

“But didn’t your family tell you about him?”

Liric shook her head. “Nan always said how she’d tell me when I’m older but this was far from how she wanted me to find out.”

“And your mum?”

She turned to look at Harry, her face showing disdain. “I haven’t seen my mother in two years. Haven’t received any birthday or holiday cards either. The only thing she does for me is transfer two-hundred galleons into my vault every year for my birthday so she doesn't have to go through the trouble of directly interacting with her only fucking kid.”

A few moments of silence and Liric sat down next to Harry with a huff. “Besides, you and I both know we’re probably the two highest people on his list. The Ministry probably thinks it would be easier for them to watch us by pairing us up here.”

Harry hummed in response. “I guess you’re right.” Then he stood up. “I’m gonna go back to my room. Sorry for bothering you.”

Liric smiled warmly. “Don’t worry about it. We’re in this together, right?”

Harry smiled back. “Right. I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“See yah, Potts.” 

And with that, Harry crossed the floor and left the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a clusterfrick and had a rushed ending so I'm sorry if you didn't really like it. I'm not the best with 'fill in' chapters but hopefully you didn't hate it too much!


	4. the creature on the train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liric boards the Hogwarts Express

Because of the recurring routine of running around Diagon Alley from sunrise to sunset, the month of August flew by and before long, it was the first day of September. Liric woke before sunrise because of excitement and she couldn’t fall back asleep. Soon the sun was creeping through the curtain-less window and Gordon started to chirp and cause a ruckus in his cage. This is what pushed Liric to finally leave the bed and dress for the day. Her outfit of choice was a black camisole under a grey fine-knit sweater, high-rise skinny jeans cuffed at the ankle, and her go-to converse shoes. She styled her hair into a half-up ponytail and slipped on the same bracelets from the day before. After looking herself over one last time in the mirror, Liric turned to the open trunk at the foot of the bed. She was in the midst of reorganizing its contents when she retired for the night, so there were still folded clothes and supplies sitting around the trunk. Deciding she could kill an hour or two, Liric picked up where she left off and the trunk was shut and ready for travel by the time commotion began to pick up downstairs. Deciding to investigate, she pocketed her wand and made her way downstairs.

The first thing Liric saw as she descended the stairs was a familiar red-haired clan spread across the dining room. A smile immediately formed on her face. The Weasleys were like a second family to Liric. Since befriending the two-youngest members, the family has been a major force in her life. She even got a hand-knitted sweater from Mrs. Weasley that previous Christmas! The strong family unit was something Liric was deeply envious of but never showed it.

“Liric!” The voice of Mrs. Weasley made the blonde girl whip her head around. “It’s so good to see you, dear. Do you have everything you’ll need?”

Liric smiled. “Yes, ma’am. Everything’s in my trunk upstairs.”

The older woman looked upon the girl with a warm fondness only a mother could have and patted her lightly on the face before moving past her. Soon, another commotion took Liric’s focus and she turned to see a familiar red-haired boy and brunette girl in a visibly heated argument. It didn’t take long for the boy (who was cradling a rat in his hands) to notice her staring and speak out to her.

“Liric!” The boy exclaimed. “How have you been?”

Liric chuckled and sauntered over to the two, her hands stuffed into her pockets. “Alright. Been awake for the past four hours and stuck here for a month. ‘M just happy to be leaving.”

This made the girl turn around, revealing the fluffy ginger cat in her arms. “You’ve been here for a  _ month _ ?” She cried in shock. “Why?”

Liric shrugged. “Long story. But Harry’s been here too. That’s also a long story. Speaking of Potter, has he come down yet?”

Both teens shook their heads. “We haven’t seen him.” The girl glared at the ginger boy. “We could have if Ronald hadn’t started this ridiculous argument.”

“It’s not ridiculous!” Ron cried, cradling his rat closer to his body. “Hermione went and bought that  _ monster  _ that tried to kill Scabbers!”

“Crookshanks isn’t a monster!” Hermione retorted as she stroked her cat’s head. “He’s beautiful and wonderful. They once worshipped cats in Ancient Egypt, you know.”

“They also worshipped dung beetles,” Liric added with a snort before turning her attention to her friend’s new pet. “But I’m glad you finally got a pet, Herms. I think cats are great. Reminds me of Hamlet.”

“Who?” Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Hamlet. He was a cat my mum had when she went to Hogwarts. She gave him to my grandparents after she graduated. He was great.” Her smile faltered a bit. “Pretty sad when he died. Only ten years old.”

Hermione looked onto Liric with a sad face. “It’s always sad when pets die. But he lived a long and beloved life.”

Another snort came from Liric’s throat. “If you call constantly hackin’ hairballs into Grandad’s shoes a ‘beloved life’ then yeah, he had a wonderful life.”

Just then, Ron looked past the girls and grinned. “Harry!”

Liric whipped her head around and saw her companion for the past month come down the stairs. She took this as her moment to leave the trio to catch up, walking past them to the table where her eyes immediately landed on two identical boys with the Weasley ginger hair.

“Things One and Two!” Liric stood between them with an arm on either twin’s head. “Cause any anarchy lately?”

Fred (who sat below Liric’s right arm) jabbed a finger into the girl’s side, causing her to retract her arms in a jolt backward. “We could ask you the same thing, toe-head.”

“Yeah,” George added, smirking over his shoulder. “Spent a whole month here with  _ the  _ Harry Potter and didn’t make a single move on him? Pathetic.”

Liric weakly glared at the twins. “Neither of you have a leg to stand on. How are  _ your  _ conquests in love going?” She glanced over at Fred with a smirk of her own. “Still ‘just friends’ with Rory?” The slight falter in Fred’s smile was all that was needed to answer Liric’s question. “That’s what I thought. You’re just as pathetic as me.”

Before any retort could come from the twins a voice from across the room called Liric by name. Looking up, she saw Mr. Weasley motioning for her to join him and Harry where they stood a ways from the table. With a nod, she made her way quickly around the table.

“I hope I’m not disrupting anything by calling you over, Liric.” Mr. Weasley said as she came closer.

Liric shook her head. “Not at all, sir. How may I help you?”

Mr. Weasley placed a hand on Liric and Harry’s shoulders and led them farther from the main table and into a secluded corner. “There are some in the Ministry who would strongly discourage me from divulging what I’m about to reveal to the both of you.” He began to explain. “But, I think that you two need to know the facts: you both are in  _ grave  _ danger.”

“Has this have anything to do with Sirius Black, sir?” Harry asked, his hushed tone matching Mr. Weasley’s.

Mr. Weasley paused for a moment. “What do you know about Sirius Black?”

Harry and Liric exchanged a glance before Harry responded. “Only that he’s Liric’s father and he escaped from Azkaban.”

“Do you know why he escaped?”

Harry shook his head, which led to Mr. Weasley leading the two teens by the shoulders into a small corridor lined with mirrors and framed photographs. “Thirteen years ago, when you stopped...”

“Voldemort.”

“Don’t say his name.” Harry seemed to have shrunk sheepishly and responded with a small ‘sorry’. “When you stopped…  _ You-Know-Who _ , Black lost everything. But to this day, he still remains a faithful servant. And in his mind,  _ you _ are the only thing that stands in the way of You-Know-Who returning to power. And that is why he has escaped from Azkaban. To find you...”

“And kill me.” Harry finished the older man’s sentence with a flat tone. 

Liric couldn’t blame him for his lack of emotion. It seemed like death followed the boy around like a shadow, waiting for a time to swipe him up. She could never understand what that was like and it made her heart bleed for him.

“But, sir,” Harry spoke up after a few moments of silence. “What does this have to do with Liric?”

Before Mr. Weasley could speak, Liric answered. “To protect you, I assume.”

Harry turned to the girl with a frown. “Protect me?”

“Think about it, Harry. I’m the only living relative of Sirius Black that we know of and I just so happen to also be attending Hogwarts at the same time as you. The Ministry believes that he won’t try to harm me and I don’t blame them for wanting to keep me as close to you as possible since he’s going after  _ you _ . Besides, he hasn’t seen me since I was a baby so how does he know what I look like? For all he knows, I could have dark hair and a wonky eye.”

“Anyways,” Mr. Weasley cut Liric off and stared intensely at Harry. “I want you both to swear to me that whatever you might hear, neither of you will go looking for Sirius Black.”

There was a long pause as the teens processed all that has been told to them. How ironic that Liric’s murderous father escaped his prison to hunt down and kill the boy she likes for the sake of his ‘savior’. It was almost like the plot of a Stephen Speilberg film. Besides, they were thirteen. How could they protect themselves and each other?

“Mr. Weasley,” Liric spoke. “I can honestly swear to you that neither I nor Harry would go looking for Sirius Black.” She looked at Harry, who nodded in agreement.

“And besides,” He added. “Why would I go looking for someone who wants to kill me?”

**.** **.** **.**

Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was just as loud and crowded as the past two years when Liric boarded the Hogwarts Express for a new term. The sight of the black locomotive brought a sense of home and excitement to her already-racing heart. While the Muggle kids might be groaning at the thought of returning to school, they’ll never understand the joy of boarding that train and riding past the rolling hills of the British countryside before arriving at the whimsical school of Hogwarts. 

Truly, Liric’s real home.

“Oi, Ricky!”

Liric was snapped from her awe of the train by a Germanic-accented voice. The moment she turned her head, she was hit by someone throwing themselves full-force into her body. Stumbling back, Liric tried and failed to pry herself from the ironclad grip of her attacker, who held her in a tight bear hug. After a moment or two, the person finally let her go and took a step back, allowing Liric to get a look at them.

The ‘attacker’ was as tall as Sorano if an inch shorter. They had middle-parted short brown hair and brown eyes with green flecks around the pupils. Their porcelain complexion was dotted with freckles and beauty marks and they were dressed in a crisp white collared shirt, brown-and-grey plaid trousers, a black belt with a large gold buckle, a beige blazer, and brown leather mid-calf boots with black laces. The appearance of silver and gold jewelry on their wrists, fingers, and around their neck just showed the wealth and importance that they didn’t try to hide.

“Did you really have to launch yourself at me like that, Vix?” Liric huffed, crossing her arms with a disapproving glare. “We could have fallen off the platform and been run over!”

Vix merely shrugged, feigning innocence. “I knew you weren’t going to let that happen and put my important life into your delicate hands.” A smirk then appeared on their face. “And here we are, unscathed and safe from any accidental death my family would surely try to sue Hogwarts for.”

Vixolydian von Kretchengaus-Middlefauth was Liric’s  _ other  _ wealthy pure-blooded roommate at Hogwarts. Due to there not being any rooms for non-binary students, Vix had been forced to stay in the girl’s half of the Hufflepuff dorm, which they didn’t seem to mind. Despite their wealth and sophisticated lifestyle, Vix acted anyway but while at the school: Chaotic, impulsive, zany, mischievous, lazy, even hot-tempered if any of their friends were targets of some kind of prank or harassment. Besides this, they were a wonderful listener and always have the best advice for any situation, making them one of Liric’s closest friends.

“Anyways,” Vix immediately grabbed Liric’s hand that wasn’t carrying Gordon’s cage and practically dragged them toward the train cars... “The girls already have a compartment for us so let’s get on board”

“But I was going to sit with…” Liric’s voice trailed off when she scanned the area and couldn’t see the Weasleys or Harry anywhere. Had they gone ahead without her while she was lost in her thoughts? How did Mrs. Weasley not point out the blonde girl’s absence from the group?

“You can find your boyfriend later,” Vix responded teasingly. “Sorano basically forced me out of the compartment and wouldn’t let me back in unless I hunted you down.”

Liric rolled her eyes. Sorano wasn’t one to play around when it came to reuniting their friend group every year. She always made it her utmost priority to get everyone together in one compartment and share vacation stories, no matter how extravagant or boring. It was one of the things Liric admire most about the taller girl.

Just as Liric was about to step onto the train car, something caught her attention in the corner of her eye. Turning, she was completely shocked to see a familiar sight.

The black-haired boy from Diagon Alley.

He stood all by himself close to a pillar, fiddling with the wand in his hand. A black cat was perched across his shoulders, scouring the people walking past. A backpack and cat carrier sat on the boy’s feet and he was dressed in a collared shirt, a dark-colored sweater, black jeans, and converse shoes identical to the ones Liric was wearing.

The sight of this interest-pulling stranger made Liric slip her hand out of Vix’s loosened grip and subconsciously make her way towards the boy. She was so fixated on him that she bumped into a couple of people as she crossed the platform. As she got closer, the cat stared right at her and started to growl, which led its owner to look up and stare at Liric with surprise and clear confusion.

“Hi?” The boy’s greeting came out as more of a question. “Can I help you?”

Liric blinked before putting on the friendliest smile she could muster. “Hi! My name is Liric and I wanted to come meet you.”

The boy pocketed his wand and stood straighter, causing his cat to jump down and scurry into the cat carrier. “Meet me? Have we met before?”

“Well, technically no.” Liric played with the hair at the nape of her neck sheepishly. “I saw you go into Ollivander’s wand shop a month ago. You caught my eye and I just had this gut feeling that I needed to meet you.”

Her explanation didn’t really help her case because this only made the boy close the cat carrier and pick it up after slipping on his backpack. Seeing this, she quickly thought of something to say to keep him from leaving prematurely.

“My friends and I managed to get a compartment for ourselves.” She managed to stammer out. “Are you traveling alone? You should come sit with us!”

The boy paused and scanned Liric up and down with a wary look before shaking his head slowly. “Lyra, you said your name was? Thank you for your offer, but I’m meeting someone who’s already on the train. Now if you would excuse me, I shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

“But-” 

Anything else Liric could think to say wouldn't have been much help because the boy merely turned away and made a steady getaway into the slowly-thinning crowd. Visibly deflated, she stood there watching him walk away until he disappeared from her sight before turning around and making her way back to the train car. Vix had stepped off and was waiting for her beside the entrance, their arms crossed and a confused look on their face.

“Did you know that kid?” Vix asked.

Liric shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just get to the group, yeah?”

Vix frowned but shrugged it off before leading their blonde friend onto the car and down the corridor before stopping at a compartment and knocking at the closed door. The blinds in the compartment had been pulled and the one over the door’s window was pulled up to reveal Sorano, who looked from Vix to Liric before pulling the blind down again and opening the door.

Inside the compartment besides Sorano were two other girls: Alice and Eirini. Alice was a blonde girl with a pale complexion and wore large round-framed glasses while Eirini had a freckled complexion and curly hair. The former had her nose in a copy of  _ Sense and Sensibility  _ while the latter was curled up in the fetal position and asleep with her head pressed against the window

“Took you long enough, Middlefauth,” Sorano said sharply as Vix and Liric made their way into the compartment.

Vix threw their hands up in defense. “I would have gotten here sooner if blondie over here didn’t walk up to some random boy.”

Immediately Alice looked up from her book. “You were talkin’ to a boy that wasn’t Potter?” She asked, an Irish accent clear in her voice. “That’s the shocker of the year.”

Liric’s face burned red as she placed Gordon on the seat and stuffed her bag on the overhead shelf. “It was someone I met at Diagon Alley last month and I invited him to sit with us.” Then her shoulders sagged. “But he turned me down and walked away.”

“Aw.” Sorano patted Liric on the back in the way a mother would console their heart-broken child. “There, there. You still have us, Ric.”

Liric smiled weakly before sitting down with Vix between her and the sleeping Eirini while Sorano and Alice sat across from them. Not long after their arrival to the compartment, the train whistle blew and they began to pull out of the station. Soon the soothing lull of conversation filled the compartment and they went around sharing summer stories. Vix obviously won with their re-telling of how their family went to stay in their holiday estate in Germany where they got to ride horses and have dinner with the German elites of society, but Liric really liked hearing about how Alice and her cousin got to accompany a family friend on their month-long trip around continental Europe. Sorano and Liric had similarly boring summers while Eirini wasn’t available for comment.

“Speaking of my cousin,” Alice turned her gaze to Liric. “Has Aurora reached out to you at all over the holiday?”

Liric shook her head solemnly. “I’d imagine she didn’t have enough time with your escapades across the continent.”

This response made Alice frown. “But aren’t you two really close? You were basically joined at the hip all second year before you got-”

“Hypnotized by Voldemort’s sexy younger ghost self?” Vix blurted out, which made Alice and Sorano shush them loudly. “What? It’s true!”

“Only you would think a psychotic mass-murder is sexy, Lydian,” Sorano added with a roll of her eyes.

Liric chuckled before shrugging. “I don’t put it against her. Rory has other things on her mind anyway.”

“Like Fred Weasley?” Alice asked as she returned her focus to the book in her hands. “I swear, all she talked about on our vacation was how the Weasleys were traveling around Egypt. I almost told her to go join them since she loves them so much.”

“There there, Ally.” Vix cooed, patting the blonde on the head. “You still have us.”

“That’s my line, you piece of shit!” Sorano cried out, causing the three other conscious occupants to burst out into giggles. It was a miracle Eirini was able to sleep through their nonsense.

Soon another topic of conversation was picked up and Liric was barely paying attention when she looked through the compartment windows and noticed the brutal rain pounding against the glass. It hadn’t been raining when they originally left so they must have crossed over into the country already. It was rather ironic how quickly the weather changed in England, but it wasn’t anything she focused on too much. She then turned to look out the windows viewing the train corridor just as three familiar faces came walking through, bags in hand.

“Isn’t that Potter and friends?” Sorano asked, practically reading Liric’s mind.

“Seems so,” Alice responded, not even looking up from her book. 

Liric could practically feel Sorano and Vix staring into her. She met their gazes sheepishly, nervously tapping her fingers on her knees. It was like they were expecting her to say she was going to go run after Harry or something.

“If you want to join them, Liric,” Alice spoke again, closing her book and smiling faintly to her fellow blonde. “Go on ahead. We won’t stop you.”

“Yeah!” Vix chirped, raising a fist. “Go get your man! We’ll still be here if you wanna come back.”

Liric smiled before standing and hugging them all (excluding Eirini, who was still snoring away). “You guys are the best. I’ll come back, I promise!”

“You better,” Sorano said with a mischievous smirk. “If not, I’ll cut off your pinky for breaking a promise.”

Liric rolled her eyes before practically flinging herself out into the corridor. She then took one last glance into the compartment before walking down the way she saw the trio go, peeking into every compartment she passed. Just as she was coming up to the side door that led into the next car, she noticed a familiar brunette girl with a ginger cat in her lap. Coming closer to the compartment, Liric saw the trio she was looking for, along with a fourth occupant covered by a tattered coat. It didn’t take long for Hermione to notice Liric and pointed her out to the two boys. Harry quickly moved to open the compartment door and before Liric could say any kind of greeting, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her in, shutting the door behind her.

“Hello.” Liric stammered out in shock. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Not really,” Hermione responded. “Harry was just telling us about-”

“Sirius Black.” Harry cut her off, scooting closer to the stranger to make room for Liric to sit down. “I was just telling them about Sirius Black.”

“Is it true he’s your dad?” Ron asked, looking as though he was about to wet himself from fear. “How come you never told us about him?”

“Obviously she has no relationship with him, Ronald,” Hermione said pointedly. “Black was imprisoned when she was a baby so there was no way they could have any way of communication.”

“But her mum or grandparents could have told her about him.”

“But they didn’t.” Liric chimed in, her face hardened. “All I knew before this was that he was sent to prison.”

A silence came over the compartment for a moment or two before Hermione spoke again. “They’ll catch Black, won’t they?” She asked. “I mean everyone is looking for him.”

“Sure.” Said Ron. “Except no one’s ever broken out of Azkaban before and… he’s a murderous raving lunatic.”

“Thanks, Ron,” Harry responded flatly.

Liric opened her mouth to add to the conversation, but the screeching of the train’s brakes filled the air as the train came to a screeching halt.

“Why are we stopping?” Hermione asked. “We can’t be there yet.”

Harry stood from the seat, opening the compartment door, and poked his head out into the corridor just a sudden jolt hit the train and sent him flying back into his seat.

“What’s going on?” Ron practically cried out in fear.

“Dunno,” Harry said, visibly trying to stay calm. “Maybe we’ve broken down?”

Suddenly, the lights went out, plunging the train in darkness.

“Ouch, Ron!” Hermione said with a visible jolt. “That was my foot!”

Ron was too busy looking out into the rainy environment to respond to Hermione. “There’s something moving out there.” He said fearfully, his hand pressed against the glass.

The lights came back on for a few moments before the compartment went completely dark again. The train became very quiet, the only sound being everyone’s breathing.

“I think something’s coming aboard,” Ron whispered frantically before two more jolts hit the train.

During this whole time, Liric was silent and purely confused. Harry had to be right about the train breaking down. They couldn’t be in Scotland yet. And besides, Ron’s whimpering about something moving outside had to be some kind of optical illusion caused by the rain, right? There were no other train stations the Hogwarts Express passed through so it was impossible for anyone (or anything) to board the train.

Just then, the compartment dropped in temperature and ice began forming on the windows’ surfaces. Even the bottle of water next to the sleeping stranger ( _ How was he still sleeping through all of this?  _ Thought Liric.) froze over. After a few moments of silence, another jolt hit the train.

“Bloody hell!” Cried Ron. “What’s happening?”

Liric glanced over at Harry, who was rubbing his hands together while looking over at the stranger. Without thinking, she grabbed his hand. This caused Harry to face her and they shared a look of concern and fear before something in Liric’s peripheral made her look toward the compartment door.

Something covered in a tattered black sheet crept toward the door. Then, a thin skeletal hand appeared from the sheet and curled its fingers, making the door slowly open. No one said a word as the boney hand clutched onto the door and the creature relieved itself.

Liric was on the verge of pure panic as a sheet-covered head peered into the compartment. There was a tear in its covering for where its mouth might be and just the thought of what its mouth could look like was enough to bring fearful tears to Liric’s eyes. Her grasp on Harry’s hand tightened and she moved her body closer to his. Crookshanks hissed at the creature as Scabbers retreated under Ron’s coat.

Then, the creature turned its head toward Harry.

It recoiled slightly as if it was taking in a deep breath and Liric watched in horror and confusion as a thin stream of light or soul or whatever it could be came off of Harry’s body and into the creature’s “mouth”, causing the boy to shake and convulse as if he was having a seizure. Liric felt absolutely powerless and terrified as she watched on as this thing continued to suck- what she came to the conclusion was- Harry’s soul right out of his body. Another few moments passed before the stranger suddenly stood and a bright almost-blinding light filled the compartment. The creature screeched, which sounded echoey and distant, as it retracted from the doorway and pushed itself down the corridor and away from the light. As soon as the light faded away, the compartment fell silent once more. Liric stared in awe at the stranger- a tall man with brown hair and a mustache, dressed in patchwork wizard robes and with scars across his face- before turning her attention to Harry. His body went limp and stayed with his eyes wide open before quickly falling back onto the now empty seat, eyes shutting.

“Harry?” Liric said, releasing her grip on his hand to lightly shake his shoulder. “Harry, can you hear me?”

“What’s happened to him?” Ron asked breathlessly just as the lights came back on in the compartment.

“I dunno.” Liric’s voice rose an octave and came out in panicked stammers. “It looked like that thing was… like, sucking his soul out of his body and… he just fainted!” The pure panic running in her veins caused tears to start streaming down her face and her breathing to become slightly labored.

Suddenly, the stranger dropped to his knees in front of her and pulled her into a tight embrace, placing her head on his shoulder and stroking her back soothingly. The sudden action didn’t phase the blonde girl since she was too busy silently crying into his robes. Being comforted by a complete stranger should have put Liric off and she probably would have pushed him away if it wasn’t for the feeling of warmth and safety that engulfed her. There was even a feeling of familiarity as if she knew this man but couldn’t seem to recognize him. The way he held her was comforting but also protecting, similar to the way Liric would think a father would hold his child. So perhaps this hug was out of fatherly instincts?

After another moment or so, the stranger pulled away and held Liric back by the shoulders, looking at her with such warmth and what looked to be relief that it made her all the more confused. She took off her glasses and wiped her face with her sleeve before putting them back on and staring back at the man.

“Sorry.” She said the first thing that came to mind. “I think I got snot on your robes.”

The man merely smiled. “Don’t you worry about that, Liric. Do you feel any better?”

She nodded. “My Nan always says a good cry can relieve almost any stress or pain.”

“Quite the intelligent woman, your grandmother. Always knew just what to say to make you feel better.”

Liric frowned. “You know my grandmother, sir?”

A look of realization came over the man’s face and his hands released Liric’s shoulders. Just then, the train jolted forward and slowly returned to its steady pace down the tracks. Hermione moved from her seat and went to kneel beside Harry, who was still out cold on the seat.

“Harry?” She said, lightly nudging his arm. “Harry, are you alright?”

Not a moment after Hermione’s question left her lips, Harry began to stir. His eyes blinked open and he slowly went to sit up with a groan. The man reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out something, extending his hand to the boy.

“Here, eat this.” He said. “It’ll help.” Harry hesitated before the man added. “It’s alright, it’s chocolate.”

Harry took the confectionery from the man and adjusted in his seat. “What… was that thing?” He asked slowly.

The stranger looked toward the now closed compartment door. “It was a dementor,” He explained. “One of the guards of Azkaban. It’s gone now. It was searching the train for Sirius Black.”

“But why did it attack Harry?” Liric asked, causing everyone to look at her. “He’s obviously not who it was looking for… and yet it still tried to suck out his soul or whatever that thing was doing to him.”

The man stared at Liric for a moment or two before taking out an opened chocolate bar and placing it on the seat next to Harry.

“Now if you’ll excuse me,” He spoke as he stood from his knees. “I need to have a little word with the driver.” Then, he stepped out into the corridor and turned back around smiling softly toward Harry. “Eat, you’ll feel better.” He added before walking down the corridor, the compartment door slamming shut after him.

The compartment fell quiet, the only sound coming from Harry lightly nibbling on the chocolate and Crookshanks purring in Hermione’s arms. It seemed like everyone was just trying to comprehend what had just happened mere minutes ago and what the stranger had told them. Liric didn’t like how he just ignored her question, but maybe he didn’t know the answer either? And how  _ did  _ he know about her grandmother? Was he a family friend she never met? But if they never met, why did he comfort her without hesitation? Her mind was practically swimming with questions.

“What happened to me?” Harry asked in a hushed tone.

“Well,” Ron spoke. “You sort of went rigid. We thought maybe you were having a fit or something.”

Harry stopped eating the chocolate and let his arm drop into his lap. “And… did either of you three… you know… pass out?”

Liric shook her head. “I went into a sort of panic sobbing but no, you were the only one.”

“I felt weird, though,” Ron added. “Like I’d never be cheerful again.”

Harry paused for a moment. “But someone was screaming…”

“Screaming?” Liric repeated.

Harry nodded. “A woman.”

Hermione shook her head. “No one was screaming, Harry.”

“Well,” Liric tucked a leg under the other and leaned on her hand in thought. “That man who was with us. He cast some sort of bright spell that also had a sort of hum to it. Maybe your mind interpreted that as a screaming woman?”

Now it was Harry’s turn to shake his head. “I dunno. Maybe.”

Suddenly, the compartment door flung open, causing the four occupants to flinch out of their still-residing fear. But, Liric was visibly relieved to see that it was only Vix at the door.

“Ricky!” Vix cried in a mixture of relief and franticness. “Did you see those flying skeleton things that came on board? Thought I was gonna shit myself, I was so scared!”

“Yeah,” Liric said, feeling a bit embarrassed at her friend’s unfiltered outburst in front of Harry. “It’s called a dementor and one of them attacked Harry.”

Vix looked over at Harry, who was still holding the piece of chocolate. “Are you going to eat that?” They asked, pointing at the candy.

Harry looked down at the chocolate bar in the wrapper next to him before picking it up and extending it to Vix, who happily snatched it from his hand. Remembering her promise to her friends, Liric slowly stood from the seat.

“I’m going to go back to the compartment with Vix.” She said, turning to Harry and smiling. “I’ll see you at Hogwarts, yeah?”

Harry nodded. “Of course.”

This made Liric smile as she bid farewell to Ron and Hermione before following Vix back to their compartment, where their friends awaited their return.


End file.
